


Revenge/Redemption

by SovietRay



Category: League of Legends
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-06-15
Updated: 2017-06-15
Packaged: 2018-11-14 06:51:51
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,949
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11202717
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SovietRay/pseuds/SovietRay
Summary: Yasuo, on his journey to find the true killer of the village Elder he was sworn to protect, travels across the sea to the Noxian border. He encounters Riven and the two have a close fight which brings Yasuo to question his life's mission and the way he carries on living in general.





	Revenge/Redemption

**Author's Note:**

> Just a thing I did for a friend once. Hopefully you guys like it and please let me know if it sounds weird or wordy. I know there's is a TON of dialogue in this and I didn't want it to sound too "talky" with blocks of text but I wasn't sure how else to get the talking in to be honest. Feedback is appreciated, hate I couldn't care less about because nobody hates my writing more than I do, I hope you enjoy this trash. I pretty much re-typed from my Google Drive to here so I tried formatting it a little bit better than my previous story so I hope its easier to read. Thanks a ton guys I hope whoever reads it enjoys.

     Yasuo pulled his blade from the now lifeless warrior's chest as the body slumped to the ground.  _How many was it now, twenty, thirty, even forty maybe?_   _And who was this one? A community leader, a teacher, or a farmer? A brother, a father, or a son?_ He sat down on the grass and retrieved a small rag tucked in the waist of his pants and began to clean the fresh blood from the steel of his sword.  _Ah, I remember now,_ he thought to himself. _H_ _e was the thirty-third._

     Thirty-three warriors the Ionian Elders had sent after him, seeking justice for the murder of a village elder in the form of Yasuo's life, and thirty-three he had cut down. The light breeze picked up ever so slightly and Yasuo couldn't help but break the somber atmosphere with a smirk and a light, sarcastic scoff.  _The wind cannot be caught or defeated_ ,and although Yasuo had been caught he surely had never been defeated. It pained him every time he had to slay another proud Ionian warrior. It reminded him on Yone.

     Yone, Yasuo's older brother and the one pursuer he had feared meeting the most, was the third. He had cut down two of Ionia's most skilled warriors before having to face down his own brother in a duel to the death. The fight didn't last very long; Yone was a good fighter but his skill was vastly inferior to his younger brother's. It was only minutes after the fight started that Yasuo found himself on the ground cradling his dying brother's head in his arms. Yasuo let the hurt wash over him and confided in his brother everything about the event that had torn their lives apart and as Yone was dying he gifted Yasuo with one last token of valuable information: the Elder Council believed Yasuo to be the killer because the elder was slain with a wind technique. Yasuo was the only Ionian left alive to have learned and mastered the ancient wind technique so it was easy for the Elder Council to make such a bold claim. After saying his final goodbye to Yone as his brother passed to the afterlife Yasuo buried him and made a special grave marker out of a small collection of rocks he found near the site of the duel. He then started a journey that he hoped would lead him to the true culprit and murderer of the elder so that he could exact his revenge on the one who ruined his life.

     Yasuo had made a grave and accompanying grave marker for every Ionian since the first and he did so as well with the young man he had slain earlier. It was once again time to move on. "Maybe this was the last one they sent after me," he said, taking a swig from his bamboo canister, "maybe now we can all have some peace." Although it was a nice thought, he new the assailants would not stop until he was dead.

     Yasuo traveled through countryside, forest, mountain, valley, and everywhere in between for the true killer of the elder he was sworn to protect. When he was younger and much more naive Yasuo had assumed he was in trouble for deserting his post; it wasn't until the Elder Council called for his death that he realized the situation was a bit more complicated than he thought. It had been a couple years since he was forced to run away from his village and the day-to-day wear was definitely showing. His sandals were worn and falling apart, his clothing was torn and in dire need of a proper washing, and he was almost out of drink again. This was undoubtedly the worst part of it all for the wandering swordsman. All this time he had lived off the land, washing his clothes in streams or lakes when he could and relieving houses or shops of their ale whenever he found an inhabitable settlement to sneak into during the quiet hours of the night. He had been careful not to be seen by others; any Ionian would likely report him to the Elders and any Noxian would likely try to kill him on sight.  _Let them try._ He would be more than happy to grant any Noxian dog the peace of an eternal slumber if given the chance. After all, he was more than positive that the elder's true killer was a Noxian soldier who had attacked the village during the Noxian Invasion of Ionia.

     Yasuo had been travelling very close to the border of Noxian territory after hitchhiking across the Guardian's Sea aboard a fisherman's boat. He had to row the entire way from the island nation of Ionia to the eastern shores of Valoran but it beat having to pay gold, especially when he didn't even have a single metallic coin of any worth. It was extremely dangerous to be so close to Noxus and the further he got from the safety of the Ionian wilderness, sheltered from the mainland by the sea, the more restless he became. He tried to shake the feeling of unease and replace it with hope and determination: the Noxians had to return to Noxus eventually.  _Any Noxian war hound would have come scampering back to the den of mongrels licking its wounds after we repelled their invasion_ _._

     The small island nation had lost many lives and suffered much destruction to its villages, temples, and landscape during the Noxian Invasion but in the end Ionia drove the bloodthirsty Noxian armies back across the Guardian Sea. Many national heroes had helped secure Ionia's victory on the eventful day that turned the tide of the war. Master Yi, the sole survivor of the Wuju Style clan and master of the Wuju Style sword art, and his trusty monkey pupil Wukong had together defeated three entire war regiments on their own. Yasuo heard it was quite the sight to watch as Master Yi dashed through the enemy ranks at the speed of sound, taking out five or six soldiers with one lightening fast strike while Wukong laughed and effortlessly weaved through their formations with his clone trickery and sent Noxians reeling with his favorite staff technique, the deadly and flamboyant Cyclone Strike. Irelia, the daughter of an incredibly skilled and nationally recognized weapons master who knew a secret sword art, had been rewarded for her bravery and skill in battle by becoming the newest captain of the National Ionian Guard. Even the Duchess of Ionia herself, Karma, had personally beat the Noxian troops back with her magic and immense spiritual willpower. In addition to fighting she also helped protect the non-confrontational Ionians and heal the troops alongside Soraka, a mystical celestial spirit and master of celestial and healing magics.

     It was all so storybook really, which might have been one of the influencing factors that lured Yasuo into leaving his post at the elder's side that night. He too had also wanted to be a powerful hero when he was a young man and had paid dearly for his foolish and childlike thinking. Yone had been the calm, mature one. Yasuo was always headstrong, stubborn, and hotheaded. Shaking the past from his mind he carried on, walking quietly but deliberately through the sparse forest ahead of him. Night would fall soon and it would do well for Yasuo to scout the area ahead of time to make sure nobody was in clear sight of his position. He intended to find a suitable area for a crude shelter and rest, continuing his mission in the early, misty hours of the morning. If he was lucky he might even find something for dinner.

     The sun was barely visible over the horizon, painting the sky a beautiful blend of blues, purples, yellows, and oranges when he noticed a makeshift camp hidden away within a cluster of trees on the edge of a small clearing. Some leaves and sticks had been gathered together to form a triangle shaped tent. Although he wasn't close enough to tell who or what had made the camp and if its creator was still in the area Yasuo's instincts immediately put him on high alert.  _I could just leave it alone but I can't risk it. Not this close to the border. It could be an enemy; it could be a Noxian just waiting for justice to be served to them._

     Slowly he crept towards the shelter, hand on the hilt of his blade. He had never been one to get nervous at the prospect of battle but he could hear his heart pounding in his head. No, it wasn't nerves; he was excited. Excited that this could potentially be the one person he had spent three years searching for. It was almost hard to concentrate on staying undetected at this point. He felt so many emotions bubbling forward, right under the surface, ready to explode. He poured as much focus as he could into the situation at hand and approached the mess of grass, leaves, and sticks that stood before him.  _Whoever made this was a lousy builder,_ he observed. As he peeked in the front opening he saw the outline of a body. As his eyes adjusted to the darkness he could tell it was a woman's body to be precise. A woman's body who, he realized, was sporting the shoulder guard of a Noxian soldier's armor on her left shoulder. The notorious double-headed axe blade made to resemble a skull was the national symbol of Noxus and was clearly displayed on the center of the shoulder guard. Yasuo also noticed the woman wasn't breathing. In an instant he kicked over one of the walls of the crude shelter causing it to collapse and held his blade to the woman's throat with one swift movement. She was caught off guard and unable to grab her concealed weapon, which Yasuo had predicted might happen. "You know, when you want someone to think you're asleep try actually breathing like a normal person next time. Too easy to read if you act dead." The woman on the ground blew a stray lock of hair out of her face and frowned up at him. She clearly did not like the situation she now found herself in.

     "If you want money I'm sorry to inform you that I don't have any. And no, I don't have any food, either. Or water. Or valuables at all, actually. So if that's what you're after then I don't think we have anything more to discuss. You should go now."

     Yasuo laughed and shook his head. "The only valuables I want are answers. Answer my questions and I might let you go. Refuse or try and run and my blade will glide across your neck before you can say 'Oops". Are we clear?"

     "Well I don't really have a choice, do I?" She swatted the blade away with a hand and shifted her body to sit up, taking care to brush the debris from the makeshift shelter off her body. "Ask your damn questions then."

     Yasuo was surprised and vexed that the woman had the audacity to push his blade off of her and sighed before starting his interrogation. This Noxian woman might lead him to his target where he could settle the score once and for all. It was extremely fortunate he ran into someone so careless otherwise he might not have gotten this golden opportunity to find out valuable information on the Noxians.  _Must be a new recruit or something,_ he told himself.

     "First off: who are you? I want to know your name, what you do, what your parents do, how you spend your days and what you eat for breakfast. I want to know everything about you and about your shit hole country. Lie to me and I won't hesitate to kill you." Yasuo hoped his words held the same tone and weight that they did in his head. He wasn't new to sounding threatening but interrogation was a whole different story.

     "How would you even know if I lied to you," the woman started, shooting him a puzzled look, "if you do not know a thing about me to begin with?"

     "What? I-never mind, just tell me who the hell you are before I lose my patience!" With that Yasuo pressed the blade of his sword back against the woman's neck to remind her he was in no mood to play games.

     "Hey, alright, no need to get all pushy, I was just wondering. My name is Riven. I used to be an Elite Commander in the Noxian army under the command of the Military General Darius. Now, I'm just an exile looking for a new start. And if you couldn't already tell I'm from Noxus."

     Yasuo couldn't believe his ears.  _An Elite Commander, taken by surprise so easily? Just how bad are these Noxian soldiers anyway?_

_"_ You claim to be an Elite Commander for Noxus. Tell me, were you part of the invasion on Ionia that occurred a couple years ago?"

     For a moment Riven forgot about the blade to her throat and the tough guy act and Yasuo clearly saw grief within her facial features. As soon as it had come, however, it was gone. "I can see it in your eyes, Riven. I know you were there. What happened?"

     "Everybody died." she whispered. She dropped her gaze and stared blankly out into the growing night, as if caught in a trance and trapped by her memories. "My entire unit was killed right before my eyes. And the worst part was that it wasn't even the Ionian ambush that killed them all." She broke her gaze to utter a deadpan laugh and fixed her eyes on him. "It was that damned mad scientist and his his Zaunite biochemical war machines. When the ambush happened and it looked like we were going to be overrun Singed ordered the war machines to rain down a hailstorm of biochemical agents from the sky directly above the action. The chemical bombs exploded in mid air and thick clouds of green and yellow began to cover and suffocate the battlefield. I ran as far away as I could. I urged the rest of my soldiers to do the same but it was too late, I was the only one who reacted quick enough. Ionian and Noxian warriors alike started screaming as the armor protecting their bodies began to disintegrate within seconds. Blood oozed from every pore and you could see exposed bones as flesh, muscle, and fat burned and peeled away from the skeletal frame. Two minutes hadn't even passed before the biochemicals had reduced both armed forces to a stinking pile of skeletons and off colored fleshy mush. It's a memory that haunts my dreams and will continue to haunt me every night of my life. After I witnessed that, I ran. I deserted the army, shattered my honorary broadsword into pieces and left Noxus and its ideals behind."

     It was hard for Yasuo not to be stunned while attempting to process what he just heard. He was smart enough to stay alert to the situation in case her sob story was a ruse meant to distract him but it was a shocking and disturbingly vivid tale nonetheless. Even though he didn't fully believe her he had to wonder how a story like that could possibly have been made up. He looked down at her weapon and noticed the concealed blade she had been reaching for was indeed just one part of a shattered blade, barely a husk of what the broadsword might have looked like in its heyday. Unswayed, Yasuo continued to press Riven for more.

     "So then you were part of the invasion. Did you invade the village of Shizou?"

     "I don't mean to sound disrespectful but I don't know what the names of the villages are. I was only following orders."

     "Oh yes, I forgot. You're just an animal with no regard for others or their lives. Let me refresh your memory: did you invade the village of Shizou and kill the village elder with a wind technique?"

     Riven almost gasped aloud but the look on her face would have rendered a gasp redundant.  _How does he know about the wind technique? I've never told anyone about that...he must be an Ionian officer looking into the murder because it was so unusual. This is bad. Just when I thought everything was all behind me..._

"I did. We invaded the village and the elder was intent on fighting back. I personally saw to it that he was killed for interfering but he was a much harder opponent than I suspected. I was forced to use an ancient wind technique to dispatch him."

     This was it. He finally found the Noxian invader who killed the elder and destroyed the life Yasuo had loved. The one responsible for bringing shame to his honor, family, village, and nation. The one responsible for putting his brother's blood on his hands and on the blade of his sword. After three years he found the poor bastard who he'd decided he would cut up into as many pieces as possible. One cut for each time Yone found his way into Yasuo's thoughts, dreams, and nightmares.

     "Get up. Right now. Get up, grab your "weapon," and face me in a fight to the death. I have also mastered an ancient wind technique and the Elders blamed me for his death. Now that I have finally found the true culprit I can end your miserable life and restore my honor. I can finally have my vengeance, for Yone's sake. If you do not get up and fight me I will kill you right now where you are seated!"

     Riven felt nervous and guilty of her past wrongdoings but smiled and stood up, sword in hand. "You aren't going to kill me. You wouldn't say you want to fight me and then threaten to kill me if I don't. That's counter-productive. But fine, I'll entertain you a fight." Yasuo stepped back and prepared himself for the fight he'd been waiting for for years.  _Soon, Yone_ _. Soon I will either avenge you or join you. At this point I'm prepared for either._

     "Do you think this is a game, Riven?" Yasuo held his blade toward her at eye level, infuriated that she would laugh at him and jest in a situation like this. "There is no game. This is you, atoning for what you've done. The gods will show you no mercy when I send you're worthless soul to them."

     Riven picked a stick out of her short, platinum hair and tightened her grip on the hilt of her weapon. "This is no joke to me. I am truly sorry for what happened to you. I'm sorry for all the pain I've caused you and your people. I was young, and severely misguided. Noxus was my only home, my only family, and I would have done anything for her. I didn't realize my entire life was meaningless until it was far too late." Riven looked away and brushed her cheek with the back of her hand. She then looked back to Yasuo with fire and determination in her eyes. "I am truly sorry. Do what you feel you must, but be warned: I will not surrender to you."

     Yasuo gritted his teeth and dashed forward with incredible speed. His blade clashed with Riven's and they locked eyes for a split second before she deflected his blow down and to the right and readied a counter-attack. In his eyes Riven saw hatred and sorrow; in her eyes Yasuo saw strength and remorse.

     "Do you think apologizing will just fix everything you've done? There are consequences for your actions and you have to pay the price!"

     They went back and forth, dancing, slicing, and thrusting their weapons at each other but unable to land any meaningful blows. Riven's blade was barely even a weapon, just a little shattered piece of enchanted steel connected the the base of a hilt, but it was enough for her to block Yasuo's strikes and retaliate with her own. She was much stronger and faster than he had expected. On closer inspection he now understood how she was able to rise to such a high rank within the military. 

     "Nothing can fix what I've done!" Riven shouted at him while using a series of quick dashes and jumps to close distance and strike towards him from multiple angles. "I've accepted the fact that I've done horrible things in my life. But no amount of apologies will ever suffice to repay the lives I've stolen and the families I've robbed. Now all that's left is to find a cause worth fighting for. One that is just and resonates within my very soul. No more blindly following petty ideals like strength. My new life must have purpose.

     After what seemed like hours the two were starting to wear down. Many small hits will eventually lead to results and it began to show. Riven had been nicked by Yasuo's deadly blade more times than she cared to admit and her reaction speed was becoming sluggish. Yasuo was also covered in small cuts and bruises but could move and react faster than Riven could by this stage of the fight. He was beginning to wear down mentally however. The longer the battle lasted the angrier he became. Nobody had ever lasted this long in battle with him before and he felt as if the sun would come up before the fight concluded. He could not afford to lose this fight. He was prepared to die but he knew he had to win and carry on for his brother. Even if his life was over he would succeed and live on for Yone. Somehow he would start again and live the life his brother couldn't. He wanted to finally live the life his brother had always wanted for him since they were children.

     Yasuo fed off his emotions and drove himself to the limit in order to take Riven down. Once again their steel clashed and locked together but this time Yasuo quickly let go of his weapon with his right hand, pulled his arm back, and let loose a powerful punch. After all, a swordsman's greatest skill is the ability to catch opponents off guard with a well-placed punch. Ionians were revered for their martial arts prowess almost as much as their swordsmanship.

     Riven never saw the punch coming. Her vision blurred and she hit the ground hard enough to knock the wind out of her. she was still seeing stars when she scrambled to her feet only to lose balance and fall to one knee. "That stings like a bitch," she spat, grimacing with pain. She groaned and slowly stood back up, making sure not to fall over this time.

     "Had enough? You look like you're in bad shape. Don't worry though," Yasuo said, spinning his blade in his hand as the wind started to swirl around his feet, "I will give you an honorable death. You are an impressive warrior, it's the least I can do. Even if you are scum." Yasuo ran towards Riven, blade poised for a lethal strike, but was stopped when Riven unleashed a brilliant light from her sword that temporarily dazed him. While he was stunned and his advance halted Riven mustered a surprising amount of energy and charged him, shouldering Yasuo in the rib cage with her shoulder guard and smacking him across the side of the face with the flat of her sword. He was knocked backwards and onto the ground but quickly recovered. Yasuo wiped the back of his hand across his face, clearing his mouth and chin of the blood that began streaming from his newly busted bottom lip and flew into attack mode. The fact that Riven regained her stamina seemingly out of nowhere would have been an alarming fact had her opponent been anyone else other than Yasuo. His rage and determination fueled his body to continue fighting regardless of the situation and he was confident in his ability to kill her. Unfortunately his battle partner had other plans. Attack after attack Riven started getting closer to tagging Yasuo with a devastating hit. Her speed was incredibly fast and she threw in all sorts of jumps, hops, and short dashes to throw him off. Her fighting style was truly unique, he had to admit. Nobody in their right mind would willingly go into battle with a useless, broken sword that was more hilt than it was blade but Riven somehow made it work. Eventually Riven was able to find an opening and slice Yasuo's shin, not deep enough to be crippling but deep enough to hurt. If she had any sort of real weapon he might have lost a leg. Yasuo jumped backward out of her range and caught himself falling to the ground as his leg gave out beneath him. This particular Noxian was really starting to get on his nerves. He leaned on his sword and looked over at Riven, who was finding it harder to stand as well.

     "Why are you such a pain in the ass?" He yelled at her. "Why won't you die? I swore to my brother that I would avenge his death. I will not allow myself to be beaten by a Noxian craven!"

     Riven took a deep breath and wiped the sweat off her brow with the back of her arm. The sweat made her cuts burn and she winced as sweat trickled down her forehead and into her eyes. "The village elder was your brother?" She asked him. She leaned over and put both hands on her knees, trying desperately to hold onto what little strength she had left.

     "No," Yasuo replied. As he slowly stood up one of his brother's sayings came to mind as he saw leaves swirling and dancing in the wind around him.  _Is a leaf's only purpose to fall?_ Yasuo never understood the weird sayings Yone always told him as a child and barely knew what they meant even still. Yone was always reciting mysterious proverbs and messages like that. He held onto those memories nonetheless, confusing as they were. It drove him mad that he was so close to his brother yet had no idea what he was ever talking about. All his training at school and all the mental and physical meditation did nothing to help him solve his brother's riddles. "Yone was my older brother. My best friend. He was a great swordsman but his skill was nothing compared to my own. When I fought my way out of Shizou to avoid the death penalty in the wake of the elder's murder the Elder Council sent warriors to track me down and take my life. The first man was a man of renowned strength who could cleave an entire tree in half with one stroke of his sword.

     Yasuo couldn't help but sadly reminisce about those first few warriors as he recalled the battles he shared with them. "But he could not cleave the wind. I cut him down as soon as he attempted his deadly swing. The second was a woman, famous for being the fastest person in all of Ionia. But she could not outrun the wind. The third warrior they sent was Yone. We fought to the death and I struck him down. I will avenge my brother's death."

     The breeze began to pick up as Yasuo's emotions became stronger. "I will take the life of the one who framed me for murder, forced me to run away from my home and tortured me with the death of my brother as well as the thirty-two other Ionian warriors the Elder Council has sent so far. Watching you die will be the best thing that's happened to me in many years, and I will finally be able to sleep at ease knowing that my brother's sacrifice was not in vain.

      Even the trees began to tremble at the power of the rising winds. Yasuo's clothing whipped around him and his large, black ponytail bobbed with the air currents. The thick, orange threads he wore around his waist flailed in the wind in unison with his tattered pants and lose shirt. Riven was startled at the sudden gusts of wind but quickly realized the phenomenon must have something to do with his wind technique. Her silver bangs were being wildly tossed around by the wind and her clothing was going crazy as well. Her standard, military issued black pants and black shirt were flapping uncontrollably.

     "You'll never defeat me because you're obsessed with revenge."

     Yasuo scowled and the wind picked up, producing a loud and hollow howl. "What did you just say?" He was mad now. It was one thing to be an annoying Noxian that knew how to fight; it was another thing entirely for her to disrespect him by commenting on a situation he knew nothing about.

     "You're hell bent on revenge for your brother. You strike out in anger because it's your only purpose." Riven stood firm and held her blade out in front of her. "I will beat you because my belief is stronger than yours. It's as simple as that. You believe in revenge but revenge is a petty, one dimensional ideal to follow. It will only result in your ultimate and untimely demise."

     Yasuo could barely believe what he was hearing. He became increasingly furious listening to all the garbage spewing from her mouth.

     "You don't know what the hell you're talking about. I don't live for revenge, I live to avenge my brother! It's more than simple-minded hatred. I wouldn't expect you to understand. You're just a pawn; a piece of meat that Noxus will use and bleed dry before throwing to the dogs after you've outlived your usefulness. Noxus is a land poisoned by immorality, corruption, and hatred. What would you know about fighting to avenge a loved one?" Whether Riven wanted to admit it or not the words stung. They affected her more than they should have, she knew, but she couldn't help herself.

     "I knew each and every soldier that was in my unit. I was friends with them all, and I even had known some of them for many years. I grew up and rose through the ranks of the military with some of those men and women and I watched them all die. They all shared a horrifying and gruesome fate because of me. I know some people in Noxus don't always see eye-to-eye with what the Grand General and the Military General did in Ionia. I know how it feels to fight for the ones you love as well as to be separated from the ones you love and care for. It's painful, more painful than anything I've ever known. But this is the path I walk. I don't stoop so low as to be driven by revenge. I don't want to see Noxus destroyed because I love Noxus. I want to see the city reformed. You fight for revenge, and maybe at one point in your life you were a truly honorable man. But the circumstances changed who you are and you've forgotten your old ways. I fight for redemption, not revenge. I will redeem myself. I will atone for my sins. It might take a lot of hardship and punishment but I will atone. I'll make it back to Noxus and reform what needs to be reformed.

     Riven's sword started to glow and an outline of a massive blade appeared in the air around the broken shards by the hilt. The sword in its former glory was absolutely massive; Yasuo was astonished that she was able to carry it around and wield it with one arm in its complete form. As her sword gained power missing pieces began to magically appear from thin air and fill in the glowing outline, forming a proper, jigsaw puzzle blade.

     Riven spoke again to Yasuo. "I am broken. You are broken. We will never be the same as we were before, as we were all those years ago before any of this happened to us. That doesn't mean we can't change our lives or redeem our future. It would do you well to remember," Riven said as her blade completed its reformation process, "what is broken can be reforged!"

     Riven screamed a battle cry as she effortlessly slashed her sword through the air in Yasuo's direction, sending a huge wave of air and magic straight at him. He didn't have long to respond to the attack but he knew exactly what to do. Yasuo drew his blade just in time to slash across the ground right at his feet.

     "Face the wind!" 

     A wall of wind appeared in front of Yasuo right before Riven's wind strike made contact with his body. The wall of air absorbed the blast and Riven's attack dispersed as it hit the wind wall. As the dust settled she was Yasuo was completely unharmed; his mastery over the element of wind had saved him from her attack, and now he was ready to end the battle.

     "I am the wind! Now it's time for you to realize my true strength! I will destroy you, for Yone!" Yasuo dashed forward, sword at the ready, and spun in a circle when he closed in on Riven's location. The wind surrounding him formed into a mini whirlwind which caught Riven by surprise as it lifted her body off the ground. She had no way of telling where Yasuo was and couldn't defend herself from anymore of his attacks while suspended and disoriented. Despite all her talk about ideals she couldn't help but think this might be the end for her.

     Yasuo jumped into the air and unleashed a flurry of powerful attacks. Slash after slash found armor, clothing, and flesh as Riven was powerless to do anything about it. He was in his element: while in the whirlwind Yasuo commanded complete control over the helpless enemy. After enough strikes he grabbed Riven and sent her crashing back down to earth as he gracefully landed next to her body as the winds died down to a gentle breeze. Yasuo readied his blade and prepared to drive the tip of his sword through her miserable Noxian heart, if she even had one. He might discover that there was only a cavity in her chest, no actual heart to be found. With Noxians you could never really tell. Riven was lying on the ground, barely conscious, her breath short and ragged. As Yasuo lifted his blade above her torso one of Yone's sayings forcefully made it way into his head:  _Does the wind flee, or does it follow?_  

     Yasuo's body locked up and he couldn't bring himself to send the blade through Riven's body. Yone's saying kept ringing in his head.  _Does the wind flee, or does it follow?_ Why now, did all these stupid messages keep coming up? All he had been doing for the past three years was fleeing. What was there to follow? Suddenly, Yasuo understood what his brother was trying to teach him all those years ago. Yasuo had chosen to flee his whole life, not just after his exile, and Yone is what he had been fleeing from. He ran away from the lessons of patience, humility, and compassion that his brother worked tirelessly to teach him. Even when Yasuo thought he had changed and become more like his brother he had not. He still left his post that fateful day and abandoned his duty to the elder. The wind had been fleeing ever since it had started blowing. Yasuo dropped his sword and sat on the ground, head in his hands. He couldn't help that tears started to form in the corner of his eyes. Yone had hoped that Yasuo would understand that he was fleeing from the truth; fleeing from becoming a true warrior of Ionia. 

     "I can't kill you," Yasuo sighed weakly. He wiped his eyes  and reached into his pocket, retrieving a small maple seed. The same maple seed Yone had given him years ago when he first accepted the job to guard Shizou's village elder. It was meant to teach him the greatest lesson in humility. A seed is a seed; given enough time and care, however, and it will grow into an amazing and beautiful tree. "My brother, despite how much I want to, would not approve if I killed you. It would not avenge him...he was a better man than that. I...I should have known this was not what he wanted for me. You might be Noxian trash but I wanted to thank you for helping me understand what my brother hoped I would realize all along. Your words were aggravating, sure, but you have faith in something that works for you. I have to respect that, if nothing else." Yasuo groaned as he grabbed his sword and stood up. "And you kinda kicked my ass for a while there. Most people don't last very long in a fight against me, but you...you aren't most people. I guess this is where we part ways, huh?"

     Yasuo looked back to see that Riven had passed out. He scoffed and took a minute to look her over, making sure none of the injuries he gave her were life threatening. He caught himself doing so and shook his head.  _Why does it matter? If she dies to a cut, or disease, then it's not really my fault at that point is it?_ Yasuo sighed and closed his eyes. "I'm already falling back into bad habits again, aren't I, Yone?" He muttered to himself. Sheathing his sword and placing the maple seed back into his pocket Yasuo took it upon himself to kick at Riven's broken sword, which has returned to its original shattered and sorry state, before turning away and walking into the forest.

     When Riven awoke a day later the first thing she noticed was that her entire being ached tremendously from the previous fight. Her sword, mysteriously covered in a layer of dirt, lay a few feet beside her. She could hear the breeze rattling the tree branches and could smell the fresh, spring sky as clear as day. The sound of a faint melody caught her immediate attention as its tune drifted throughout the trees. she located the source of the sound and found Yasuo, sitting high above on a tree branch, one leg dangling in the air, playing his bamboo flute. The music was quiet but high pitched and haunting enough to make the hairs on the back of her neck stand up.

     "Why are...you still here?" she called up to him, eyes squinting against the sunlight to get a better view of Yasuo in his perch. "Better question...why aren't I dead?" Even trying to say too many words in a sentence left her out of breath. Oh yes, it would take her a long time to recover from a beating this bad. She didn't think she'd ever been beaten so badly in her entire military career.

     "Who's to say that you aren't dead? Maybe we both died and it's our punishment to spend eternity together in the afterlife." Yasuo pocketed the flute, grabbed the hilt of his sword and jumped from the tree branch and onto the ground. He walked over and knelt down beside the young woman.

     "Well...this pain feels real. So...I'm assuming...I'm not dead."

     Yasuo smiled and grabbed his bamboo canister, offering it to Riven. "Here, this will help with that. It helps with a lot of things actually."

     Riven opened the canister and took a sip. She quickly regretted her decision as she began choking on the alcohol and coughing uncontrollably as it traveled her throat. As she groaned and rolled over on her side Yasuo was able to grab the canister before she dropped it and spilled its valuable contents all over the ground.

     "Yeah you might not understand yet but trust me, I'll help. Anyway," He said as he put the canister back around his waist and stood up, "I didn't kill you because I couldn't. Yone wouldn't have wanted me to kill you. I need to live by his virtues to honor his memory. The wind needs to follow, not flee."

     "So you...stayed...to look after me? How...thoughtful of you."

     Yasuo frowned and shook his head. "Don't push your luck. I stayed to use you as bait and that's all. What if a Noxian search patrol happened by and saw you lying there on the ground? They would have been easy pickings." Yasuo turned and faced the forest, the breeze blowing at his back.

     "Thank you..." Riven said weakly while her eyelids began to close. "I think I'll sleep...now for a bit...but...thanks."

     "...Yeah."

     Yasuo left Riven there, sleeping on the ground in the clearing, and headed into the forest. His original purpose in life was destroyed but in its place Yasuo felt that he could find something else worth living for. His new purpose would be to live life as his brother had: a life of patience, honor, respect, humility, and compassion. He would carry on the memory of Yone through his actions and, one day, he might even honor Ionia once again as well. The wind was often unpredictable.


End file.
